Automotive variable-ratio power transmission



July 7, 1953 G. T. RANDOL 2,644,559

' AUTOMOTIVE VARIABLE-RATIO POWER TRANSMISSION Filed Oct. 23, 1945 18 Sheets-Sheet l 5y .z a

Lu flr TOR-45% ly 1953 I v G. T. RANDOL S 2,644,559

AUTOMOTIVE VARIABLE-RATIO POWER TRANSMISSION Filed Oct. 23, 1945 l8 Sheets-Sheet 3 7 IN VE/VTOE! 7: PHIVDOL. 022 M,

July 7, 1953. G. T. RANDOL 2,644,559

AUTOMOTIVE VARIABLE-RATIO POWER TRANSMISSION Filed Oct. 25, 1945 j 18 Sheets-Sheet 4 [III III

HrroRA/EK' July 7, 1953 err. RANDOL 3 4, I AUTOMOTIVE VARIABLE-RATIO POWER TRANSMISSION I. 4

Filed Oct. 23, 1945 I v v 1a sneets-snm 5 $22 17 I I I zz z y July 7, 1953 G. TJRANDOL ,5 9

AUTOMOTIVE VARIABLE-RATIO POWER TRANSMISSION Filed Oct. 25, 1945 I 18 Sheets-Sheet 6 July 7, 1953 G. 'r. RANDOL AUTOMOTIVE VARIABLE-RATIO POWER TRANSMISSION 1a Sheets-Shet a Filed Oct. 25, 1945 J ly 7, 1953 G. T. RANDOL 2,644,559

' AUTOMOTIVE VARIABLE-RATIO POWER TRANSMISSION Filed Oct. 25, 1945 1a Sheets-Sheet 9 a? fai MW flrTORI/EK July 7, 1953 G. T.'RANDOL I 5 AUTOMOTIVE VARIABLE-RATIO POWER TRANSMISSION Filed 001:. 25, 1945 I l8 Sheets-Sheet l0 July 7, 1953 G. T. RANDOL 2,644,559

AUTOMOTIVE VARIABLE-RATIO POWER TRANSMISSION Filed Oct. 23, 1945 1a Sheets-Sheet 1s 62 ENN 7. RmvooL,

3, ail/f HTTORNEK July 7, 1953 7 c5. T.'RANDOL 2,644,559

AUTOMOTIVE VARIABLE-RATIO POWER TRANSMISSION Filed Oct. 25, 1945 1s Sheets-Sheet 14 HTToPA/EW July 7, 1953 RAN'DOL 2,644,559

AUTOMOTIVE VARIABLE-RATIO POWER TRANSMISSION Filed Oct. 25, 1945 is Sheets-Sheet 15 July 7, 1953 G. T. RANDOL AUTOMOTIVE VARIABLE-RATIO POWER TRANSMISSION l8 $heetsS he et 16 Filed Oct. 23, 1945 AV/n/roE: 64 ENN 7; Rah/00L,

July 7, 1953 v G. T. RANDOL I 2,644,559

AUTOMOTIVE VARIABLE-RATIO POWER TRANSMISSION 18 Sheets-Sheet 17 Filed Oct. 25, 1945 Qrraen/EK Patented July 7, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT orrlce AUTOMOTIVE VARIABLE-RATIO POWER TRANSMIS SION Glenn T. Randol, Detroit, Mich.

Application October 23, 1945, Serial N0. 624,042 a This invention relates to automotive power trains of the change-speed positive drive type, and more particularly to improvements in the change-speed drive mechanism and associated control means to effect speed drive changes therein, whereby minimum effort and attention are required of the operator in efiiciently regulating the transmission of torque and speed from the power source to the driving Wheels of an automobile and the like.

Thus, the present invention particularly relates to improvements in .a vehicular power-drive mechanism and system including a torque producing internal-combustion engine having coupling means for transmitting the torque to a change-speed transmission operable upon the removal of torque load therefrom to establish a plurality of --modulatory forwardspeed drives and a reverse drive, together with operating means for removin the torque load from the coupling means.

The variable-gear ratio means and associated controls above referred to constitute improvements related to and associated with the power drive control system disclosed in my prior U. S. application, originally filed July 28, 1941, under Serial No. 404,295, and for which a continuing application was filed November 6, 1944, bearing Serial No. 562,075, now. Patent No. 2,604,963, dated July 29, 1952. In this prior torque-transmitting system comprising three forward positive-drive speeds and an oppositely directional speed with the low speed forward drive power-operated in part, the automatic speed changes are inaugurated by the positive meshing of the lowest speed :gears by movement of a manually-operated shifting lever from one predetermined position to another; whereupon ensuing automatic de-meshing of the low speed gears and up-shift sequential gear ratio changing into the highest speed may be accomplished automatically, atthe discretion of the operator, without disturbing the second predetermined position of said shifting lever, Thereafter, automatic change of gear ratio is restricted between the next lower speed and the highest speed, so that if the operator desiresto revert to the lowest speed, the shifting lever must be returned to the first predetermined position and then reset to the second position, following which, automatic speed changes from the lowest to the highest speed may again occur as aforesaid; Furthermore, all of such automatic speed changes are attended by conventional pedally-operated declutching for temporarily removing the torque load from the gearing while such 17o Claims; (01. 192-4173) 2 speed changes are being effected automatically or while meshing the lowest speed drive by operating the manually-shiftable lever as aforesaid,

A further novel feature saliently incorporated in my prior torque-transmitting system and mechanism, and which the present invention seeks to improve, is the provision of a third predetermined position setting for the manuallyoperated shifting lever whereby, when so positioned upon movement thereof from the aforementioned one predetermined position, the drive operativeness of the low speed drive only is efiected; whereupon, movement of said shifting lever to the aforesaid second predetermined position causes power-transition fromlow speed to intermediate speed drive, and thence to high speed drive in accordance with correlative operations of a speed drive governing means and a pedally-controlled member, said high speed and intermediate speed drives being alternately power-activatable and inactivatable upon the establishment of high speed drive, in response to operating the pedally-controlled member with the governor means predeterminately operated and Without further movement or action of the said shifting lever being required.

It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide novel change-speed drive mechanism actuatable by fluid-pressure controlled servo-mechanism for activating and inactivating at least three forward speed drives in upand down-shifting sequence according to operator control, said servo-mechanism including pre-energized modulatory spring means for effecting certain shifting phases of the drive mechanism controlled thereby.

A more specific object related to the object immediately preceding is to associate with-said drive mechanism novel control means including control valving for'supplying fluid under pressure to the servo-mechanism to actuate the same,said control valvingbeing operable to correlated fluid controlling positions to cause the servo-mechanism to actuate the drive mechanism to selectively establish the three aforesaid speed drives in response to a governor device operative proportionally to vehicular speeds, and predetermined correlative movements .of the engine accelerator and a manually-controlled driveselector means provided with optional drive controlling positions whereby a selected one or a selected plurality of said speed drives may beemployed for vehicular propulsion.

A further important object related to the two objects next above, is to produce novel variable- 3 ratio power transmission mechanism and control means therefor controllable in part by a movable manual selector provided with optional ratio control positions whereby movement of the selector to one of its positions enables power operation of said low speed to activate and inactivate the same in response to movement of said selector into either of its other positions including subsequent use of said one position.

A still further important object related to the object next above is to produce in change-speed transmissions having a low speed forward drive controlled by a manual selector initially movable to a predetermined position for establishing the same to enable power-operation of said drive upon subsequent movements of said selector from and to said predetermined position.

A further object of the invention is t prov de, in an automotive vehicle including an acceler ator controlled internal-combustion engine-having an inlet-manifold and a governor device pr ed propor o ally to vehicular sp eds, power a s f r o erat n a three speeds forward dr ve transmission, said power means including manifold roduced vacuum and a brie-energized dulatory spring means operable, when the transmission is established in low speed setting, to establish the transmission in its second speed setting upon manifold vacuum increase by closing the throttle to idle the engine; whereupon, alternate establishing of low speed and second speed may be accomplished by operation of said power means in response to a predetermined vehicular speed operation of said governor device and a l s of th t ott e to id e the eng ne, respectively.

A further object of the invention is :to provide, in an automotive vehicle including an internalcombustion engine having an inletemanifold, a throttle associated with said manifold controlled by an accelerator, and a novel three-speeds forward and reverse drive transmission which includes gear sets having synchronizing mechanism for producing a two-directional drive in each of the aforesaid speeds, power means for operating the forward speeds of said transmission, the operation of said power means being controlled by combined governor and manually operated valve means, p e-energized modulatory spring means,

a selective shift-control valve means, and by vacuum produced in the inlet=manifo1d by operation of the engine, the vacuum production bemg controlled by the accelerator,

An object related to the object next above is theprovision of novel mechanism for operating the selective shift-control valve means in response to fully releasing or fully depressing the accelat to au e he said power means to operate upon operating said combined valve means to pen p sition whereby the low speed sett ng i inactivated and a higher speed setting activated in response to operation of the governor with the accelerator fully released to idle the engine, said low speed setting being reactivated in response to closure of said combined valve means by operation of the governor at a predetermined vehicular speed with the accelerator operated into engine idling position.

A further object related to the two objects im mediately preceding is to provide novel mecha-.

nism operable manually to overrule said governor operation of' the combined valve at will to cause said power means to reactivate low speed drive setting of the transmission in response to, opera! tion of said modulatory spring means, said n ech V 4 anism being controlled manually to enable the governor to operate the combined valve means in response to vehicular speeds and independently of said manual control.

A further important novel feature of the present invention resides in the aforementioned selective and operating mechanism for the shiftcontrol valve means which is operable to different selective operative positions to cause the power means to control the transmission according to operator control in part, and wherein the selection of the different speed positions is controlled by the established speed setting for the next speed setti g; that is, if low speed is established, operation of said valve is selected to cause second speed settin to be established by the power means when next operated; whereupon, high speed setting is selected and upon operating said valve the power means will establish high speed and select second speed setting, etc.

Among other important objects of the present invention is the provision of .a change-speed drive transmission which a shift-lever, upon movement to a single operative setting, causes the establishment of the lowest speed of a series of modulatory forward two-directional drives and simultaneously conditions transmission actuatmg means for subsequent automatic up-sh'ifting and down-shifting through the entire drive range higher speeds to facilitate rendering the-lowest speed effective as a drive when the higher speeds are disestablished. 7

It is still another important object to provide an improved vehicular drive system having an accelerator mechanism and including a torqueproducing power source having coupling means" for transmitting torque to a change-speed power train having means for establishing a plurality of modulatory drives upon the removal of torque load therefrom, power means controlled by the accelerator mechanism for actuating said coupling means to remove and 'reimposetorque load, and means for preventing the removal of torque under normal operation of the accelerator mechanism.

The present invention further seeks, among other objects, to improve my prior motor vehicle power drive system in a novel and patentable manner by eliminating th said foot-declutching operations and substituting therefor automatically-operable means, whereby the torque load on the gearing may be interrupted during gear changing by the means effecting th change.

A further improvement is concerned with-the elimination of the necessity for manually effecting or restoring the two-way positive drive through the lowest speed by substituting automatically-operable means, whereby after meshing the low speed gears under manual control, as pre'-' viously stated, said gears continue to operate in the aforesaid meshed condition but inefiective to transmit torque therethrough during automatic up-shiftin from the lowest to the highest forward speeds, and vice versa; and'wherein said positive two-way drive through said low speed 

